Enumclaw Courier-Herald

Voters realized Romney stood for nothing at all

December 11, 2012 · 7:57 AM Comments

I agree with much of what Mr. Elfers wrote (In Focus column, Nov. 21) about politicians framing each other in order to win an election. I disagree with almost everything Mr. DeVol wrote (Letter to the editor, Nov. 28) about why the Democratic candidate won.

What was not mentioned by either man was why Mr. Romney was so easy to “frame.” I believe that almost every educated voter in the country, regardless of political party, was aware that Romney stood for nothing at all. Instead he “framed” himself to satisfy the latest situation. “Severe conservative” was what he felt the primaries required and he continued to change with every new wind.

We don’t vote Democrat because we’re uneducated, though I’m certain that low-information voters exist in great numbers within both parties. We don’t vote Democratic because we think the past four years were managed flawlessly, or because the media tells us how wonderful our president is.

We voted for President Obama because of our experience. The lies about some connection between 9/11 and Iraq, and then about WMD in Iraq, coupled with those bravado-filled hawkish speeches pledging to put our service members into war; the disregard for scientific fact within the Bush White House, and the continued claim that trickle-down economics work. The push to deregulate industry and the BP environmental disaster that continues to this day. The idea that labor unions and the poor cost us so much, while corporate welfare is nonexistent.

All these issues and so many more are just too vivid in our memories, so we voted Democrat. All this, and the fact that Romney framed and reframed himself, instead of being someone with attractive ideas.